Schemes
by Dayat
Summary: [Tales of the Abyss] Anise has lost contact with the others from the group for seven years. Something isn't quite right with this situation. Read to find out. A review would be most appreciated.


Disclaimer: Tales of the Abyss doesn't belong to me.

_A/N: Set after the game so, major spoilers. You've been warned.  
_

_**Schemes**_

Chapter one

Anise Tatlin, current Fon Master of the order of Lorelei, brushed away the dark curls that kept getting in her face with a huff of impatience. A long time had passed since the deal with Lorelei and saving the world from certain destruction. To be frank she'd believed that her new found friends wouldn't separate that easily after all they've been through together.

And fate, as if to just prove her wrong, distanced slowly but surely the six that had faced Van.

Searching through her files for some paper that must have gotten mixed in the pile, she picked something on her messy desk that she didn't remember leaving there. It was a small stack of photographs. She set aside her work for a minute or two to just take her time to look at them.

Anise could remember quite vividly each time those had been taken. There she was with Ion, scolding him for running away… again. That boy had never made any sense. He was so sweet and trusting that you wondered just how he could act like that. But that's what made his charm she told herself. He had been her most cherished person too and never anyone replaced him from this place in her heart.

Shaking those sad thoughts from her head, she changed of photograph. That one was a more recent one. It was the last time they had all been together as a group. Luke had just returned to his family manor, Natalia to her castle, the others were just waiting for the boat that would take them to Chesedonia and there they would split off. Jade and Guy were going back to Grand Chokmak, Tear was going back to Yulia City, and she was heading back to Daath.

The end of the score had an immense effect on the population. To put it quite simply, the order's was a complete mess. A cool head was what the order needed the most. Anise took upon herself to make everything in her power to restructure the Order. Her cheerful face and strong determination, that some often called obsessing stubbornness, made her the leading person people could count on.

She had been at this post for six years now, seven the next month. That… made her old. Some years ago she would have yelled in despair that at that age she would be anyone's rich wife, and clung to the random rich boy nearest of her. Some people had tried to ask her hand in marriage. But they were either worthless drunk scum or they couldn't handle her exuberant attitude. After a time, a rumor spread in Daath that the current Fon Master was some sort of woman the only liked her work. So the demands stopped and she didn't lose any energy with them anymore.

She had tried writing to her friends at the beginning. The only answer she had gotten was one short reply from Jade. After that, nothing. A deafening silence.

She knew that somehow Luke and Tear had kept contact, if not more. She couldn't imagine why the others haven't tried to keep contact. It isn't like they had a fight right before she left them. They even told her that they were going to keep in touch.

Liars, all of them.

Letting the rest of the photos aside, Anise got up and continued to do the paperwork that she had to do for the day, still searching for that damn paper that was missing from the file.

"I'm going to kill the dumbass who organized those files oh so well." she said, finally finding the missing page. Brushing away the same curl that always managed to get in her face, she looked back at the photographs. She couldn't get her mind to focus anymore on her job. A good bath and a well deserved rest would do the trick to relax her tensed muscles.

The next morning, she woke up at an ungodly hour. The sun hadn't even risen yet. She groaned because she knew that she wouldn't get anymore sleep than that. Anise threw the covers aside and picked up Tokunaga who was keeping watch on the chair next to her bed, she hugged him tight as she had done since Dist had given him to her. Her night has been filled with fragments of memories and she had woken up several times. It left her in a foul mood. She deposed her precious doll on her chair again and grabbed an elastic for her hair. She tied her now waist long curly dark hair in a messy bun and picked her Fon Master uniform. After dressing up, she took her doll once again and latched it on her back. The familiar weight felt good on her shoulders.

Now what to do, it was too early to even start thinking about working. The files could wait until she got some food in her system. A hot chocolate would be really good since she was feeling a bit cold. She took the fonic glyph that led to the first floor and proceeded to walk toward the kitchen. As she reached the kitchen door, her attention was turned to two people talking, one of them rather loudly, in the main hallway. They seemed to be disagreeing on something.

As Anise squinted her eyes to see who would hold an argument in the middle of the hall at this too early hour of the morning, her breath caught in her throat.

That calm and controlled voice belonged to the Colonel. The other one, which was still too loud compared to the Colonel's, belonged to her secretary Dana.

She was saying something about the Fon master, her in that case, being busy today. Which was completely false. From where she was coming, they both didn't saw her until she spoke.

"How can the Fon master be busy today with something she hasn't been informed of Dana?" she said with a stern voice, one that was contrasting a lot with her usually cheery voice. That foul mood that she has woken up with didn't help making her look friendlier. Both persons turned in her direction at the sound of her voice.

Dana seemed rather surprised at seeing her there. She sputtered a seemingly good answer to Anise's questioning.

"The schedule of the Fon master has been changed and I was about to inform her of that matter until this rather _rude_ person insisted to see her despite her busy schedule and the fact that she might still be sleeping."

"Then the message has been relayed. But I will not change my schedule today. I have a very dear …friend… that I need to speak to." she spoke, her tone final.

"Yes Fon master. Have a good day." With that, she left, leaving the Colonel and Anise alone.

Anise looked at Jade to see him wear his usually pleasant smile. She had seen his eyes widen when he had seen her. He probably took a second or two to realize who she was. And Tokunaga that she still wore on her back was a dead give-away.

"So Colonel, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you after almost seven years of silence? Malkuth or Kimlasca doesn't have anyone better to bother?" she spat out angrily.

It had hurt her that none of her friends had written back. They didn't even try to come and see her. Okay, sure she had been busy but she could have spared time to see them. And with Ion gone, Daath was an awfully lonely place to live in. She had made a few acquaintances here and there but never a real friend. Dana and Leon, a guard that had been assigned to watch her, were the closest thing she could call friends.

"I should be asking the same thing of you Anise. You never replied to any of the letters we sent you. And when we made the trip to Daath, either on business of for personal reasons, you were unavailable. You seemed to take pleasure in ignoring us." he said with his eternally calm voice.

"Just what are you talking about Colonel? I never knew you were even in Daath! If I had not been on my way to the kitchen just now, I would have never seen you. Just what's happening..?" she asked him, confused. "Why hadn't I been informed of your visits? When was the last time you visited?"

Jade raised an eyebrow, clearly trying to analyze the current situation.

"Yesterday in the morning. They said you were in some important meeting."

"I never had a meeting of any sort yesterday. I was busy putting some order in files." she murmured, bringing her hands to massage her temples as she did now out of habit.

"This is giving me the worse headache EVER. Colonel, would be so kind and wait for me in my room for a few minutes? I'll be right back. The lock on the fonic glyph is "I'll kill you bastards". I changed it after I was put in charge as Fon Master. And no laughing at my password skills Colonel." she stopped him before he could get a well placed reply.  
"I believe you know the way to Ion's old room? They are mine now." With no further talking she managed to remain half dignified as she stomped off to yell, scream, and do horrible things at the person who was responsible for all of this.

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